From Dragon’s Den Rejection to £4.5M: The Hair Syrup Growth Story
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Rejected by all 6 Dragons, then hit £4.5M in sales.
Lucie Macleod walked into the Dragon’s Den asking for £190k.
She left with zero offers… and the internet on her side.
In this episode, the founder of Hair Syrup breaks down how she turned a side hustle into a multi-channel beauty brand, why she leaned into public rejection on Dragon’s Den, and how she continues to dominate TikTok without relying on affiliates.
She unpacks:
▫️The brutal reality of pitching for 3.5 hours with cameras rolling
▫️How she used the rejection to fuel record-breaking sales
▫️What most founders get wrong about visibility, brand story, and virality
▫️Her playbook for converting TikTok attention into long-term customers
▫️The content system she uses to publish daily, without a big team
▫️And the unfiltered truth of running a fast-growing brand at 24
This one’s for every founder who's been underestimated and made it work anyway.
00:00 Viral Brand Origin & Early Growth
04:30 Authentic Founders Story
05:49 Re-defining Natural Haircare
07:50 Lucie’s Entrepreneurial Traits
11:50 Starting on TikTok
18:35 Content Strategy
31:33 Dragon’s Den: The Full Story
37:45 Struggles Within The Business
39:41 BTS of Dragons Den
44:35 The Controversial Offer
54:28 Impact & Strategic Execution
01:02:40 The Downside of Personal Branding.
Follow Hair Syrup on Socials
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hairsyrup
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hairsyrup/
Follow Loukas on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/TRI8B
Twitter: https://x.com/LoukasHambi
Follow Olly on socials:
LinkedIn: https://shorturl.at/kPrqO
Twitter: https://x.com/oliverwhudson
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D2C Diaries
Join Olly Hudson and Loukas Hambi in a laid-back yet insightful podcast, where we dive into the heart of D2C and e-commerce. With a combined experience of managing over £150 million in ad spend across Meta and TikTok and helping scale over 200 brands, we bring you a digestible blend of performance, operational, and creative wisdom.
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